You know, I was so hyped up with the thought of Buell coming out with a badass supermotard that when the Ulysses came about I just shrugged my shoulders and kept looking to see what else Buell has been working on. It's weird how I'm into the styling of the Buell XB12 so but but when this adventure bike came out it doesnt do much for me except say, "hmm, cool, interesting."

I think if I was laying down money for an adventure-touring bike Suzuki would be getting my money and I'd be riding a DL1000.

It's got to get reports from real riders using it, as an adventure bike. The chassis geometry is sending mixed signals. The reporter that said it's off road experience will most likely end at pulling off to the shoulder of the road to park, might very well be saying as diplomatically as a writer that likes to keep his job, would say it.

Lou... meet me in the back alley so I can reveal my true diplomatic stance on the Ulysses before I go pick up my walking papers. I'm having a tough time sorting out how saying that the majority of these bikes wont make it farther off the road than the shoulder be constrewed as diplomatic, That was supposed to be funny! Sheesh... you're a tough crowd.

I think the Ulysses looks cool and Buell did a great job of keeping the looks as unique as the XB line.. but my problem I have with Buell is I can't get one!! I have not been to a single Harley dealer that stocks any.. in fact the HD sales people don't even know anything about them.. the only Buells I've seen in the LA area were used ones at California Harley and at Bartels Harley... I wanted to consider one when I was shopping for a new bike recently.. Harley can't expect to improve their U.S. sales numbers if they don't send bikes to their dealers and educate the sales staff... A Buell is actually the only reason I have ever stepped into an HD dealer or will likely in the future..

Kevin Duke is at the release of the 2006 Harley-Davidson & Buell models and he rode the Ulysses today! He says it's actually prety sweet and he'll have a ride report out as soon as humanly possible. What's cool is that he has ridden the competitors and will be able to give us a pretty good idea of how it compares to the BMWR1200GS, V-Strom and Ducati Multistrada. Stay tuned...

The tank is now 4.4 gallons, and Buells are known to get at least 50mpg, so the range aint bad. I thought the rim-mounted brake disk would be vulnerable to ruts,rocks etc but on closer look, it is mounted within the wheel so should be ok. The only prob I see for going in the dirt and especially river/stream/puddle crossings is the low position of the muffler opening. One gulp of water getting sucked in , and goodbye motor.. There's a reason dirt bikes have high mufflers. Otherwise I'm wierding myself out by actually digging this bike. Big comfy seat for two, killer hard luggage, backrest for passenger, hydraulic valves, "lifetime" drive belt w/ no adjustments - should be better than a chain or BMW's shaft that seems to fail after about 40K miles according to owners' reports (and reading about it on the Iron Butt site, and Adventure Toring site).When you're off-roading, a slow reving chuffy motor is pretty ideal on trails..

I want to leave this planet the way I entered it, being held upside down naked and spanked by a nurse.

Hey gang, I just spent an entire day riding the Ulysses, and I can tell you that it's going to impress a lot of people. When I first heard of an XB Buell adventure tourer, it seemed kinda ridiculous. After riding it on every type of terrain imaginable--including lots of unpaved areas--I'm sure this bike is going to be a big hit for Buell. It's as much a sport-tourer as an adventure-tourer, and it does a decent job at being a sportbike, too. I'll be riding the new Lightning Long on Thursday, and I'll file a story on my riding impressions of both bikes next week.

louemc said...It's got to get reports from real riders using it, as an adventure bike. The chassis geometry is sending mixed signals.

I don't think it's intended to be a true offroad bike... like the GS, it's mainly a streetbike with the capability to take a smooth dirt road or gravel road once in a while. More like a competitor to the MultiStrada (which is not touted as an offroad bike). 'Sides, everyone knows that the big "dual purpose" bikes are normally purchased by people who never actually take them off road. But they have great riding positions and excellent handling on road. Me likey.

Umm, Kenny, You must of thought I was talking to (or about) you, on my diplomatic and or, wussyboy words. I wasn't, that could explain why you're not getting it, your reading it wrong. I'm on your side.

It's all part of a new movie being filmed to promote their product to the, umm, adult crowd. Starring with "Lightning Long" is "Night Rod" and "Street Bob". "Low Rider" and "Fat Boy" are possible stand-ins...

I want to leave this planet the way I entered it, being held upside down naked and spanked by a nurse.

Desmolicious said... The only prob I see for going in the dirt and especially river/stream/puddle crossings is the low position of the muffler opening. One gulp of water getting sucked in , and goodbye motor.. There's a reason dirt bikes have high mufflers.

Hmmm...if your bike is sucking air into the muffler opening, there's something wrong! My Buell blows exhaust out of the muffler... I always thought the reason offroad bikes had high mufflers was to keep them from getting bashed; this is a real concern with Buells (my Firebolt muffler has a few dings, and I've heard of guys denting their mufflers quite badly) but then again, I'd rather destroy the muffler than the engine cases.

The other concern with the Ulysses off road would be the belt drive--but as I understand it, Buell has introduced a new belt on this model that is tough and elastic enough to take it! Keep in mind that there is at least one person successfully racing off-road on a Buell XB9S Lightning (some crazy woman from Germany whose bike is covered in pink fur).

There has been a lot of desire indicated over the past few years on the Buell site for a sport/touring bike--I guess this is Buell's answer to that. For my part, I'll keep my tiny Firebolt (which, BTW, has exactly the same steering head angle as the Lightning--Kenny suggested in the article it was less steep, but it's not).

Geoff, if you're on the gas, then for some reason chop the throttle, the sudden pressure drop can cause water to get sucked in to the muffler. I see it all the time with SUVs stalled out mid stream, even though the water flow is just at muffler level... Whenever I perform river/stream crossing in my Jeep, I make sure no matter what happens to stay on the gas! That is why you'll also see some hardcore trucks with intake and exhaust nozzles extended above the roof line of the vehicle.

I want to leave this planet the way I entered it, being held upside down naked and spanked by a nurse.

Ulysses is Latin for Odysseus. He was the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca and is most well known for coming up with the trojan horse. I think Buell was going for the adventure aspect of his story because Ulysses went on a series of adventures over the course of 10 years and defeated the cyclopse and rescued his men from circe among other things. Bascially, I think what they're going for is if you have Ulysses on your side, it'll rescue you from just about anything mother nature can throw at you...It's kind of a stretch in my opinion.